9 to Overtime
by anticute
Summary: PreIM1. Pepper deals with the advantages and disadvantages of being the latest PA on the block.


rambly writing is rambly. also: i'm contemplating changing my penname to match my tumblr's. but i dunno. I DUNNO.

this may or may not become a series of ficlets about Pepper's rather abnormal working hours.

i just. i love pepper so much. PAS shoutout.

**9 TO OVERTIME**  
PreIM1. Pepper deals with the advantages and disadvantages of being the latest PA on the block.

* * *

The first two weeks and a half, Pepper was told - ordered, really - to work within the house/mansion/estate/Tony Stark's playpen (and if his residence was his playpen, what would one call the entirety of his workshop?) so as to "immerse and familiarize" herself with the working environment. His words.

Pepper is fairly (more than, but she's not about to brag about herself) bright and clever. So it didn't take much for her to realize that Mr. Stark - her "new" employer (in that, she was already employed by Stark Industries, but was now employed directly by him) - was just creating ways to keep the two of them in constant proximity, in his efforts to entice and...expose her to his charms.

In retrospect, smarts had nothing to do it with it, and more that Mr. Stark was simply not at all trying to be subtle.

(She would later learn that Mr. Stark _could_ be subtle. Too subtle sometimes, for her liking. Colonel Rhodes would echo her sentiments in future conversations, which would then lead to a friendship and allowances of nicknames.)

Suffice to say, Pepper did not buy into his scheme and remained so very professional, as she immersed and familiarized herself with said working environment. The technology was state of the art and did, in fact, require some time to understand in usage. JARVIS, for that time, was pleasant company - especially in contrast to her employer's. Mr. Stark tended to walk around, blatantly, without a shirt or wifebeater. And thankfully, nothing less than that - unless it was a very, very bad night (and Mr. Stark's very, very good night).

Pepper was (and is) easily subject to second hand embarrassment. And as the years under Mr. Stark's employ would warrant and prove, she would experience such embarrassment quite enough. However, before such experiences (that would only benefit her in that she would become frightfully immune to said moments), were the few weeks of her career in which Mr. Stark continued to showcase his...assets.

("As my employee, Ms. Potts, I encourage you to get in on Stark stock, if you haven't already.")

Yes, Pepper would admit that particular line was not his best. However, she granted that it was one of his last efforts before he finally realized that no, Ms. Potts was not and had no interest in being a...shareholder, for the foreseeable future. And she had told him as such, just so that it would be vocalized by the very subject of concern herself. Mr. Stark required repetition, she learned very quickly, and employed such a learned tactic equally as quick.

"Shareholder" - with all his intended meanings - was, of course, included in her speech, accompanied by the best of her professional smiles and slightest of flushes at having to even discuss such a matter (second hand embarrassment at its worst once again). Despite the awkwardness, Pepper braved it out - just like she had, from alerting Mr. Stark of his mathematical error, to his innuendos in that rather momentous encounter of theirs.

Tony, meanwhile, had decided then and there that Ms. Potts and her freckles (her freckles had been one of the factors to make said decision) were definitely worth keeping around. At least until the end of the month. He assumed the novelty would be...nonnovel, and/or tire her out with his antics and monstrosity of a workload.

As it was, Pepper became accustomed to every facet of technology. More often than not, there was a tactile sensor code in order to access rooms, particular calls, computers, even the refrigerator - both the fridge and the freezer.

To which: Mr. Stark only argued that he didn't want Ms. Potts to be drinking on the job - or at least, not without him. Though, he mentioned all the alcohol that was in the "main" fridge was beers. He had then told her that he liked his beers extremely cold - colder than cold; and so for that, the temperature was personally modified.

Said personalized fridge was a result of a particularly boring day for Tony.

(However, he did not recommend putting ice cream in the freezer. Rhodey and he had some...troubles, the first time they had eaten ice cream.)

A few weeks later - when access to the fridge was no longer restricted, informed by JARVIS himself - she discovered that he had actually stored (to put it lightly) strong potents of a highly suspicious, and certainly illegal, nature within said fridge. Obviously, he couldn't face a lawsuit of his PA having consumed any. Pepper ignored the urge to note that he could have easily purchased another fridge for such scientific purposes. Perhaps a fridge more directly intended for them.

("You complain I spend too much money. I was listening to you.")

Though, Pepper supposed his fridge (good God, he had a multipurpose fridge!) _was_ equipped for science.

Still. Pepper could only feel slightly offended: she thought herself sensible enough to tell the incredibly distinct difference between a beverage and a chemical-or-what-have-you. And the only person besides her that came to the house was Colonel Rhodes and he seemed just as capable to tell such a difference. As for Mr. Stane's visits, he took to the bar and its plethora of more rich, quality cognacs and scotches, which were far more appealing than the more common contents of the fridge.

On a technicality - women also frequented the house/mansion/estate/Tony Stark's playpen, but she supposed the kitchen was nothing of interest. Or at least, she hoped. She really, really hoped.

...If it wasn't already, maybe it was time to ask JARVIS if weekly sanitation was on the schedule for the housekeeping staff.

She allowed that there were such things called accidents, but it would have to be a great deal of stupidity or a freak accident that perhaps resulted in blindness, to make such accidents happen. And internally she only thought it very responsible of Mr. Stark to think so... Well. Responsibly.

("Don't get used to it. I'm still not going to that... Wherever you just told me I have to go to. ...Wait. Will she...damn. Something with a V. Yeah. Anyway - will she be there, from Bad Wolf Corp? Don't give me that look, Pepper. It's all business. Mostly. Sort of.")

When she is finally given leave (ridiculously, she has to ask him, _request,_ to let her do the rest of her duties as PA outside of his home) to return to the main SI office, Pepper finds that the system has been upgraded to the advanced technology residing in the Stark residence, and has been installed to the building and its offices for a more smooth and secure network. Stark tech as it was being called in the offices, patented and courtesy of Tony Stark.

As she goes through the motions, Pepper finds it is of a far simpler system than the one in his playpen (she has decided at this point, playpen is the best word). She assumes it's for easier usage. She supposes that it is actually nice to have had familiarized the Stark tech already, given how her colleagues are slightly struggling with the recent wave of technology, even outside of SI. It has certainly saved her the trouble of looking less professional and honestly - feeling silly and out of place. She feels both enough as she breaks into this position, as Mr. Stark's latest PA. (And she _intends_ to keep said position, damn it.)

When Pepper goes to another company - a, for lack of a better word, "normal" building - she is so utterly spoiled by Mr. Stark's technology that...well. She idiotically reaches out for the glass, expecting it to understand and just know her intentions, even before she knows it.

Occupational hazard.

* * *

DO NOT ASK WHY IT'S BAD WOLF CORP. DW IS (or rather, WAS, when i wrote this a couple of months ago) BACK IN MY LIFE.


End file.
